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Heart (Pet Shop Boys song)

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"Heart"
Single by Pet Shop Boys
from the album Actually
B-side"I Get Excited (You Get Excited Too)"
Released21 March 1988 (1988-03-21)[1]
GenreSynth-pop[2]
Length
  • 3:57 (album version)
  • 4:16 (7-inch version)
  • 8:55 (12-inch version)
LabelParlophone
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Pet Shop Boys singles chronology
"Always on My Mind"
(1987)
"Heart"
(1988)
"Domino Dancing"
(1988)

"Heart" is a song by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys from their second studio album, Actually (1987). It was released as the album's fourth and final single on 21 March 1988 by Parlophone. The song topped the UK Singles Chart for three weeks in April 1988, becoming the duo's fourth and final number one single to date in the United Kingdom.[3] The music video was filmed in Slovenia; it was directed by Jack Bond and starred Ian McKellen as a vampire.[4]

Background and composition

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The genesis of the song goes back to the recording sessions for the duo's first album Please (1986) at Advision Studios. Neil Tennant wrote the opening verse on the way to the studio, and Chris Lowe composed the music on the piano. They were inspired by the song "I Like You" by Phyllis Nelson, which was mixed by Shep Pettibone.[5]

Originally, the duo had considered offering "Heart" to hi-NRG singer Hazell Dean,[6] and they also thought it suited Madonna,[7] but they ultimately kept it for themselves and asked Pettibone to produce it for Actually.[5] The song was also intended to be used in the Steven Spielberg-produced film Innerspace,[8] but the dance sequence it was intended for was at the wrong tempo for the song.[citation needed]

The duo decided not to use the Pettibone version of "Heart" on Actually and asked Andy Richards to produce it instead. The single is Richards' original version, featuring syn drums and J.J. Belle playing guitar with a wah-wah effect, giving the song more of a 1970s sound. The album version was mixed by Julian Mendelsohn, with the guitar part removed. An error on the album remix resulted in the lyrics starting with "Beat" instead of "Heartbeat", and they decided to keep it.[5]

Tennant described "Heart" as "a one-off cheerful love song".[9] The lyrics are more traditional than most Pet Shop Boys songs, being a straightforward declaration of love—a characteristic common in many pop songs. On the commentary of the Pet Shop Boys' live video album Cubism, Tennant reveals that the "oh – ah – oh'oh ah" refrain which repeats throughout the song features the vocals of himself, Pavarotti and Wendy Smith of Prefab Sprout.

Release

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The song was originally called "Heartbeat", but the title was changed after Culture Club drummer Jon Moss announced the formation of a group named Heartbeat UK.[5] "Heart" was planned as the first single from Actually but it was replaced by "It's a Sin", which was considered to be the more commercial option.[10] Upon its release as the album's fourth single in March 1988, "Heart" debuted at number seven on the UK Singles Chart and rose to the top spot the following week, where it held for three weeks.[11] To date, "Heart" is the last Pet Shop Boys single to reach number one in the UK.[3]

"Heart" was the second Pet Shop Boys single, after "Always on My Mind", to reach number one on the Eurochart Hot 100 Singles.[12] It placed at number one in Finland, Ireland, Switzerland, and West Germany, as well as New Zealand, and in the top ten in Austria, Belgium, Norway, Spain, and Sweden, along with South Africa (see Charts). "Heart" was not released as a single in the United States.

Shep Pettibone did two remixes of "Heart"—the "Dance Mix" and the "Dub Mix".[13][14] His original recording of "Heart" with Pet Shop Boys appears on the reissue Actually: Further Listening 1987–1988.

On the retrospective collection PopArt: The Hits (2003), the album version of the track was used for the UK release rather than the hit single mix, while the single mix was included on the US release. The single version was included on the compilations Discography: The Complete Singles Collection (1991) and Smash: The Singles 1985–2020 (2023).

In 2024, Pet Shop Boys released a new recording of "Heart" on Furthermore, the bonus EP with the two-disc version of their fifteenth album, Nonetheless.[15]

Artwork

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The single covers were designed by Mark Farrow with photographs by Eric Watson. There were two versions of the 7-inch single. One featured Tennant (pictured) wearing a suit and bowler hat, looking down with his hands clasped on his lap. The other showed Lowe in the same pose, wearing an Issey Miyake fisherman's mac and hat with industrial dungarees, which he had worn at the 1988 Brit Awards.[16][17] The CD and the 12-inch remix covers used the photo of Tennant, with a blurred image of Lowe standing behind him "waving his arms in a fashion reminiscent of a Francis Bacon painting".[18] The 7-inch and 12-inch covers have a brown tint, and the CD is tinted blue. The typeface is a Helvetica bold font; the 12-inch remix single has the word REMIX instead of HEART.[18]

The covers won the Wood Pencil award for Best Individual Album or Single Sleeve at the 1989 D&AD Awards.[19]

Critical reception

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In his review of the single, Jonh Wilde from Melody Maker felt that "after their lugubrious reading of "Always on My Mind", things diminish further with this sour self-parody."[20] Jonathan Romney from NME wrote, "Obviously, the Boys' injection of their vital juices into Patsy Kensit ["I'm Not Scared"] has left them quite drained poor things. This is their limpest single yet. The strange thing is, if this record were by New Order, it'd have the same banal robotic beat, the same banal lyrics, the same bored-witless singing, and it'd be universally acclaimed as a transcendental masterpiece. And it would be too."[21] Johnny Dee from Record Mirror named the song Single of the Week, adding, "'Heart' is immediate modern, compact and remixed from the album, actually, it's what the kids want, it's what I want! This 45 contains every gimmick the Petties have toyed with since 'West End Girls'. Neil and Chris — you are the Marks & Spencer of pop music, the high street gods of the Eighties."[22] The magazine's James Hamilton described the song as a "jittery tuneful Eurobeat throbber" in his dance column.[23]

Music video

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Directed by Jack Bond, who also made the band's 1988 film It Couldn't Happen Here, the music video for "Heart" is a resetting of the Dracula story.[24] The video opens with Tennant and his bride, played by model Danijela Čolić Prižmić,[25] being driven to a castle with Lowe as his chauffeur. As he goes to bed with his bride, the vampire, played by Ian McKellen, spies them. Later, he seduces the bride and bites her. Finally, Lowe drives the vampire and his bride away, leaving Tennant to stare bitterly after them from a castle window, having been turned into a vampire himself.[18] The video was shot in Mokrice Castle, Slovenia, then one of the Yugoslavia republics.[26] According to Bond, the image of the bat above the castle came from Werner Herzog, who directed the Dracula adaptation Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979).[24]

Live performances

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"Heart" was performed on the Pet Shop Boys' first tour in 1989, with a film projection by Derek Jarman featuring dancers in a club.[27][28] The song was revived for the Pandemonium Tour in 2009–2010, opening the show in a mix with "More Than a Dream" from Yes (2009). The performance is included on the live album Pandemonium.[29] "Heart" was also played on the Dreamworld: The Greatest Hits Live tour in 2022–2024.[30]

Track listings

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  • 7-inch: Parlophone / R 6177 (UK)
  1. "Heart" – 4:16
  2. "I Get Excited (You Get Excited Too)" – 4:53
  • 12-inch: Parlophone / 12 R 6177 (UK)
  1. "Heart" (disco mix) – 8:27
  2. "I Get Excited (You Get Excited Too)" – 4:53
  3. "Heart" (dance mix) – 6:08
  • also released on cassette (TCR 6177) and CD (CDR 6177)
  • 12-inch: Parlophone / 12 RX 6177 (UK)
  1. "Heart" (12-inch remix) – 8:55
  2. "Heart" (dub mix) – 5:15
  3. "I Get Excited (You Get Excited Too)" – 4:53

Personnel

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Credits adapted from the liner notes for Actually: Further Listening 1987–1988[31] and "Heart".[32]

Pet Shop Boys

Additional musicians

Technical personnel

Artwork

Charts

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[edit]

Lyrics: Heart

References

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  1. ^ Smith, Robin (19 March 1988). "News: Pet Shop Boys". Record Mirror. p. 4. ISSN 0144-5804.
  2. ^ Edwards, Luke; Elliott, Mark (16 June 2023). "Best Pet Shop Boys Songs: 30 Synth-Pop Hits Always On Our Mind". Dig!. Retrieved 4 January 2025.
  3. ^ a b c "Pet Shop Boys: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  4. ^ Pulver, Andrew (24 December 2024). "Jack Bond, cult British director and Pet Shop Boys collaborator, dies aged 87". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 16 January 2025.
  5. ^ a b c d Heath, Chris (2018). Actually: Further Listening 1987–1988 (booklet). Pet Shop Boys. Parlophone Records. pp. 19–20. 0190295826222.
  6. ^ Hibbert, Tom (9–22 September 1987). "And a Rather Good LP It Is, Too!" (PDF). Smash Hits. Vol. 9, no. 17. p. 47. Retrieved 10 January 2025 – via World Radio History.
  7. ^ Abramovich, Seth (25 April 2024). "Pet Shop Boys on Their Favorite Hollywood Memories: 'So Gorgeous. So Elegant'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 14 January 2025. Q: I've heard different Madonna rumors about Pet Shop Boys. One was that the 1987 song "Heart" … was written for her. Is that true? TENNANT: No, we wrote "Heart," and we thought it would be great for Madonna. We didn't send it to her. But we mentioned that in an interview, and people often mention it.
  8. ^ Chin, Brian (25 April 1987). "Club DJs Lend Expertise to Soundtracks" (PDF). Billboard. p. 33. Retrieved 15 January 2025 – via World Radio History.
  9. ^ Heath, Chris (2020). Pet Shop Boys, Literally. London: William Heinemann. p. 233. ISBN 9781473575691.
  10. ^ Heath 2018, p. 16.
  11. ^ "Heart by Pet Shop Boys". Official Charts. Retrieved 15 January 2025.
  12. ^ a b "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 5, no. 18. 30 April 1988. p. 23. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
  13. ^ "Pet Shop Boys - Heart (12R 6177)". Discogs. Retrieved 15 January 2025.
  14. ^ "Pet Shop Boys - Heart (12RX 6177)". Discogs. Retrieved 15 January 2025.
  15. ^ "Furthermore - Pet Shop Boys". petshopboys.co.uk. 26 April 2024. Retrieved 15 January 2025.
  16. ^ Heath 2020, p. 126.
  17. ^ McIlheney, Barry (24 February 1988). "The BPI Awards" (PDF). Smash Hits. Vol. 10, no. 4. p. 41. Retrieved 15 January 2025 – via World Radio History.
  18. ^ a b c Hoare, Philip; Heath, Chris (2006). Pet Shop Boys, Catalogue. New York: Thames & Hudson. p. 90. ISBN 9780500513071.
  19. ^ "Pet Shop Boys - Heart". D&AD Awards. Global Association for Creative Advertising & Design Awards. 1989. Retrieved 15 January 2025.
  20. ^ Wilde, Jonh (26 March 1988). "Singles". Melody Maker. p. 32. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  21. ^ Romney, Jonathan (26 March 1988). "Singles". NME. p. 17. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  22. ^ Dee, Johnny (26 March 1988). "45". Record Mirror. p. 37. Retrieved 8 March 2023.
  23. ^ Hamilton, James (9 April 1988). "DJ Directory". Record Mirror. p. 37. Retrieved 8 March 2023.
  24. ^ a b Hoare & Heath 2006, p. 94–95.
  25. ^ "Danijela Čolić Prižmić o hitu Pet Shop Boysa: Deset godina nisam htjela pogledati spot u kojem imam glavnu ulogu". Top Radio (in Croatian). 22 March 2022. Retrieved 14 January 2025.
  26. ^ "Mokrice Castle: Filming Location". Culture.si. Retrieved 14 January 2025.
  27. ^ Heath 2020, p. 27.
  28. ^ Hoare & Heath 2006, p. 120.
  29. ^ Diver, Mike (2010). "Pet Shop Boys Pandemonium Review". BBC. Retrieved 16 January 2025.
  30. ^ Curran, Shaun (24 July 2024). "Pet Shop Boys, Royal Opera House review: They nearly took the roof off". inews. London. Retrieved 16 January 2025.
  31. ^ Pet Shop Boys (2018). Actually: Further Listening 1987–1988 (liner notes). Parlophone. 0190295826222.
  32. ^ Pet Shop Boys (1988). Heart (liner notes). Parlophone. R 6177.
  33. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 232. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  34. ^ "Pet Shop Boys – Heart" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 2 January 2019.
  35. ^ "Pet Shop Boys – Heart" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 2 January 2019.
  36. ^ "Top RPM Dance/Urban: Issue 8663." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  37. ^ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 233. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  38. ^ "Pet Shop Boys – Heart" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 2 January 2019.
  39. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Pet Shop Boys". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 2 January 2019.
  40. ^ "Classifiche". Musica e dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 30 May 2022. Select "Singoli" in the "Tipo" field, type "Pet Shop Boys" in the "Artista" field and press "cerca".
  41. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Pet Shop Boys" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  42. ^ "Pet Shop Boys – Heart" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 2 January 2019.
  43. ^ "Pet Shop Boys – Heart". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 2 January 2019.
  44. ^ "Pet Shop Boys – Heart". VG-lista. Retrieved 2 January 2019.
  45. ^ Currin, Brian. "SA Charts 1965–1989 (As presented on Springbok Radio/Radio Orion) – Acts P". The South African Rock Encyclopedia. Archived from the original on 5 May 2018. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  46. ^ Salaverrie, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Madrid: Fundación Autor/SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  47. ^ "Pet Shop Boys – Heart". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 2 January 2019.
  48. ^ "Pet Shop Boys – Heart". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 2 January 2019.
  49. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Pet Shop Boys – Heart" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
  50. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 1988 – Singles" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  51. ^ "Top 25 Dance Singles of '88" (PDF). RPM. Vol. 49, no. 10. 24 December 1988. p. 10. ISSN 0033-7064 – via World Radio History.
  52. ^ "1988 Year End Eurocharts – Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 6, no. 52/1. 1 January 1989. p. 31. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
  53. ^ "Top Selling Singles of 1988". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  54. ^ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1988". hitparade.ch (in German). Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  55. ^ "Top 100 Singles – Year-End Chart 1988" (PDF). Music Week Awards. Music Week. 4 March 1989. p. 12. ISSN 0265-1548 – via World Radio History.
  56. ^ "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts – 1988" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 1 May 2020.

Notes

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  • "Interviews: Pet Shop Boys". This is not retro. March 2004. Retrieved 9 September 2013.
  • Heath, Chris (2001). "Heart". In Actually / Further Listening 1987–1988 [CD liner notes]. London: Pet Shop Boys Partnership.
  • Longmire, Ernie and Steffen Gärtner (1989–2006). "Pet Shop Boys: Heart" (TXT). Gardner's Pet Shop Boys Discography. Gardner Publishing Ltd. Retrieved 10 September 2006.
  • Raggett, Ned. "Heart". AllMusic. Retrieved 10 September 2006.